Meng Yao rubbed her temples with a headache. Her gaze accidentally fell on the television in front of her, where a sandalwood-colored note had been placed.
The smooth and elegant running script showed that whoever had written it was a refined man.
What happened last night was absurd and presumptuous. I’m very sorry.
I had to return to my unit early this morning, so I truly couldn’t wait for you to wake up.
Don’t worry. I will take responsibility for you.
This is my phone number and contact address. Please contact me.
—Feng Chen
Feng Chen?
That was quite a nice-sounding name.
For some reason, the moment she saw it, she thought of the tall man who had helped her perform a heroic act yesterday.
Meng Yao shook her head and scoffed.
“How could I possibly run into the same person twice in one day?”
There was no way it was him!
Forget it. In the end, she had been the one who forced herself on him. Since he had already left, she would deal with it later.
Right now, Meng Yao was more concerned about what had happened to the Meng family.
Considering Qi Yunhai’s twisted and beastly nature, Meng Ying should be grateful that she had been unconscious. Otherwise, she would have suffered even more.
In her previous life, the first night Meng Yao married into the Qi family had been the most painful and unbearable night of her life.
Qi Yunhai’s physical condition had twisted his mind. He had used every sort of perverse tool he could find.
He had nearly killed Meng Yao.
Even now, recalling it made her shudder with lingering fear.
But when she remembered that she was no longer the one being tortured in this life, Meng Yao happily rolled around on the bed.
The feeling of revenge was simply too satisfying.
“Hahahahaha!”
Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell off the head of the bed.
“Ouch!”
After washing up and leaving the hotel, Meng Yao first went to the hospital before returning home.
She hummed a tune and walked lightly along the long stone-paved alley. In the distance, she saw a familiar figure excitedly waving at her.
“Sister Yao…”
Yesterday, Meng Yao had asked Li Xiaohu to deliver a letter to the steel factory and reserve a hotel room for her. The whole situation had left him feeling uneasy.
He had barely slept the previous night, so he woke up early and stayed in his family’s courtyard, watching the Meng residence.
Sure enough, the early-rising Xiaohu witnessed a huge scandal.
“Sister Yao, you’re finally back.”
Li Xiaohu could hardly wait to tell her. He gestured wildly as he dramatically described everything that had happened at the Meng residence that morning.
Meng Yao’s smile deepened.
At that moment, Zhang Guilan returned from buying groceries. When she saw the two of them sitting in the courtyard and laughing until they doubled over, she also smiled.
There was no need to ask what the two children were laughing about.
The disgraceful incident at the Meng residence had already been spread throughout the neighborhood by Ma Lijuan and the others.
Everyone in the alley was now saying that the Meng family had sent their daughter into the Qi family’s son’s bed early to ensure that she could marry into their family.
The Qi family had truly gained a bargain. They had bought one and received another for free. Everyone sarcastically praised the Qi family for having such “good fortune.”
Thinking that Meng Yao would finally no longer have to marry into the Qi family, Zhang Guilan smiled from ear to ear.
“Stay and eat at Auntie’s house today. I specially bought some meat so we can celebrate properly.”
Meng Yao nodded.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Auntie.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. We’re family. There’s no need to be so polite.”
As Zhang Guilan spoke, she carried her basket toward the kitchen.
Meng Yao turned around, planning to go home first and see how things were developing.
Li Xiaohu quickly followed her.
“Sister Yao, I’ll go with you. In case something happens, I can at least protect you.”
The Meng family was furious right now, so they would surely vent all their anger on Meng Yao.
Although Meng Yao had never explained why she had asked him to do those things yesterday, even someone as simple-minded as him could tell that the Meng family had deliberately plotted against her.
Fortunately, Meng Yao was clever enough to see through their scheme. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Seeing how worried Li Xiaohu was about her, Meng Yao sighed inwardly.
Compared with Meng Yu, Li Xiaohu seemed more like her real younger brother.
Meng Yao pressed Li Xiaohu back onto the stool and instructed him, “Stay here and don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.
“Don’t worry. I’m no longer someone whom anyone can bully.”
Meanwhile, Meng Ying covered her backside as she limped around. Tears filled her eyes, and her expression was darker than the bottom of a pot.
She cursed under her breath.
“What exactly did that beast do to me last night?”
That morning, Meng Ying had awakened from a nightmare because of intense pain. When she saw the unfamiliar face beside her, she had been terrified.
Ignoring her physical discomfort, she immediately began struggling and arguing with Qi Yunhai.
After getting dressed and preparing to go downstairs, she discovered that her legs were so weak she could barely walk.
Even more humiliatingly, certain parts of her body were unbearably painful.
All morning, she had viciously cursed every generation of the Qi family’s ancestors.
Meng Ying looked resentfully at Li Yuqin.
“Mom, he doesn’t really have some kind of mental illness, does he?”
Li Yuqin looked displeased.
“How would I know?”
However, she understood perfectly well.
Why had no one been willing to marry their daughter to him?
A man who was incapable in that regard would inevitably become somewhat twisted.
Meng Liangcai suddenly walked in from outside. His face was gloomy, and he looked as dejected as though someone had beaten him up.
Li Yuqin stared at him in surprise.
“Didn’t you go to the factory? Why are you back so early?”
Meng Liangcai glared irritably at them. He opened his mouth several times but hesitated to speak.
He was too embarrassed to mention what had happened.
Early that morning, before he had even reached the factory, people along the way had looked at him as though he were some strange creature, laughing and gossiping about him.
After entering the factory, even his subordinates had sarcastically expressed their “concern.”
There was no need to say it. The Meng family had completely lost face this time.
He snorted coldly, sat down, and asked through gritted teeth, “Where is Yaoyao?
“Hasn’t she returned yet?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Yao stepped through the courtyard gate.
Seeing her nephew playing alone in the open courtyard, she could not resist teasing him.
“Oh, are you guarding the door again today?”
Inside the main room, Meng Ying heard the commotion. Covering her backside and frowning in pain, she rushed outside.
She angrily pointed at Meng Yao’s nose and demanded, “It was you! You were the one who set me up, weren’t you?”
“Hey, hey. You may drink chicken soup carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly.
“You say I harmed you, but what exactly did I do?
“Do you have any evidence?
“If you can’t produce evidence, I’ll sue you for slander! Hmph.”
Meng Yao’s disdainful attitude was like stepping directly on Meng Ying’s tail.
“Ahhh!”
Meng Ying screamed repeatedly in agitation.
“You wretched woman! I’m going to kill you!”
Suddenly, Meng Liangcai, who had been radiating a gloomy pressure from the side, slammed his fist heavily against the table.
“Enough! Stop arguing!”
“Isn’t this already humiliating enough? Do you still want to attract more people to come and laugh at us?”
Family scandals should never be exposed to outsiders.
But now, the Meng family had probably become the laughingstock of the entire alley.
His hands trembled with anger as he glared sternly at Meng Yao.
“And you—where did you go last night?”
“Why weren’t you in your room?”
Last night, Meng Liangcai had been afraid that something might go wrong. He had not returned to his room and had instead stayed in the living room all night without sleeping.
Therefore, it would have been impossible for someone to enter or leave without him knowing.
That morning, Meng Yao’s room had been empty. They had searched the entire house but could not find her anywhere.
Now, after seemingly disappearing into thin air, she had suddenly returned from outside.
No matter how they thought about it, something was wrong.
Faced with his questioning, Meng Yao remained calm and unhurried. She had already prepared an explanation on her way back.
“Don’t even mention it. Last night, after drinking the chicken soup, I returned to my room and fell asleep. Not long afterward, I suddenly felt tightness in my chest, shortness of breath, and severe heart palpitations.
“I tried to get up and open the window for some fresh air.
“But I lost my balance and fell out of the window.”
As she spoke, she even put on an aggrieved expression.
“If Xiaohu hadn’t discovered me in time, I might not be standing here now, allowing all of you to suspect and accuse me.”
She had fallen from the second floor, yet she was standing there perfectly fine?
Her story sounded completely absurd.
However, they could not seem to identify any obvious flaw in it.
Seeing that they still did not believe her, Meng Yao quickly rolled up her sleeves and showed them the bruises on her body.
“Look. I was bruised from the fall. It hurts so much.”
Li Yuqin snapped angrily, “You fell from a second-floor window three meters above the ground and only suffered bruises? Who are you trying to fool?”
Meng Ying also refused to believe her.
“Exactly! If you fell from such a height, you would have made some noise. Dad couldn’t possibly have missed it.”
Meng Yao blinked her bright, innocent eyes and asked in confusion, “Mom and Dad’s room is on the south side, while I fell on the west side. Why are you so certain that he would have heard it?”
…